Apple iOS 18 release date announcement: When you can download it

At its “It is Glowtime” occasion on Sept. 9, Apple unveiled the brand new Apple Watch Collection 10, new AirPods, and, sure, the iPhone 16 sequence. Alongside these new iPhones, Apple can also be launching its newest iPhone working system, iOS 18.

iOS 18 was introduced at WWDC again in June, teasing a sequence of recent options. These embrace new methods to arrange your Residence Display screen, a brand new customizable Management Middle, and Apple Intelligence, the headline characteristic.

Beta testers have been capable of check out most of those options for a while now — however with a public launch, you may lastly get them for your self. Right here’s what you have to know.

iOS 18 launch date

Apple at all times releases new variations of iOS alongside its new iPhones — and outdoors of the beta testing program, you’ll be able to obtain and set up iOS 18 for your self on Sept. 16, a couple of days earlier than the brand new iPhones are launched on Sept. 20.

While you do, although, it gained’t supply all of the options that Apple introduced in June. Some sensible residence options, for instance, are reserved for iOS 18.1, which doesn’t have an official launch date but, so that you’ll have to attend just a little to attempt it out. Then, there’s Apple Intelligence, which has its personal launch timeline.

What’s new in iOS 18?

iOS 18 brings with it a sequence of nice new options. Many of those relate to customization, permitting customers to personalize their units.

Aside from Apple Intelligence, maybe the headline characteristic is one which ex-Android customers have been asking for—a extra customizable Residence Display screen. With iOS 18, you’ll be capable of place apps wherever you need on the display (throughout the grid, after all) as a substitute of getting them organized from left to proper, prime to backside, always. Moreover, you’ll be able to set new Darkish and Tinted Residence Display screen choices, which carry completely different colours to your Residence Display screen wallpaper and apps.

Mashable Gentle Velocity

The Management Middle can also be turning into extra customizable. In iOS 18, you’ll be able to create and customise a number of pages of the Management Middle and extra simply place and resize your present controls. So, you possibly can have a complete web page devoted to sensible residence controls, or you possibly can place solely the controls you care about on one display within the precise place that works for you.

Loads of Apple’s first-party apps are getting new options as effectively. iMessage will allow you to use any emoji as a Tapback response, and also you’ll be capable of format textual content with underlines and italics — to not point out RCS help, which brings higher cross-platform messaging. The Photographs app is getting an all-new single-page design, and also you’ll now be capable of lock apps behind Face ID — so you’ll be able to higher safe delicate info. Lastly, passwords are transferring out of the Settings app and into their very own Passwords app.

Apple Intelligence

Apple Intelligence is maybe an important “characteristic” of iOS 18. It’s simply the title that Apple calls its bundle of recent AI options. Sadly, accessing these options isn’t fairly so simple as downloading iOS 18. The very first Apple Intelligence options gained’t be accessible till iOS 18.1, which is predicted someday in the direction of the top of October, based mostly on earlier iOS iterations. 

Even when iOS 18.1 is launched, it gained’t have the entire Apple Intelligence options that Apple introduced in June. The presently accessible beta model of iOS 18.1 has new writing instruments that may generate and summarize textual content, recommended replies in Messages, telephone name recording and transcripts, and notification summaries for each the Messages and Mail apps. These options will virtually actually be accessible in iOS 18.1, except Apple runs right into a hitch and decides to drag them, which is unlikely.

There are options that nobody exterior of Apple has examined but, however these will doubtless be held till a later iOS 18 launch. These options embrace some headliners, like Picture Playground, Genmoji for generated emoji, Siri enhancements (with the ChatGPT integration), and on-screen consciousness. These are a number of the most important options of Apple Intelligence, however Apple is taking issues gradual with AI. The corporate has even stated that some options will not be launched till 2025, although it did spotlight that ChatGPT integration could be accessible by the top of 2024, so different Siri enhancements will doubtless be out by then, too.

Once more, although, options might be delayed if Apple desires to carry them longer.

Which units will help iOS 18?

iOS 18 will likely be accessible on the entire similar units that help iOS 17, which is nice information for these with a barely older telephone. Nonetheless, not all of those fashions will get Apple Intelligence. Solely the iPhone 15 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional Max (together with all iPhone 16 units) get the brand new AI options.

This is a listing of units that may get iOS 18.

• iPhone 15, 15 Plus, 15 Professional, 15 Professional Max

• iPhone 14, 14 Plus, 14 Professional, 14 Professional Max

• iPhone 13, 13 Mini, 13 Professional, 13 Professional Max

• iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Professional, 12 Professional Max

• iPhone 11, 11 Professional, 11 Professional Max

• iPhone XS, XS Max

• iPhone XR

• iPhone SE (second-generation) 

• iPhone SE (third-generation)